Good, inexpensive kitchen knives?

[pedalinbob]

in the past, i have had Ginsu...they sucked.

i now have Henckels Eversharp. they cut ok, but the micro serrations mean that you can saw food--not slice it.

to make matters warse, my wife (bless her!) purchased some cheezy "titanium" coated knives. they are essentially Ginsus.

blah.

i am looking for relatively inexpensive kitchen knives--perhaps less than $100. we arent gourmet chefs, but i like the feel of a quality knife.

i have looked at the Farberware Pro(i think--they are the forged model), which retails for $60-$80 for a 14 pc set, with block. they are highly recommended by consumer reports.

any further info/suggestions?

thanks,
Bob

 

[mbs]

Bob,
I think buying a complete set of kitchen knives is great way to spend money on something that you won't use! Think about which knives you really use. My most used knives are a 10" chef's knife, a paring knife (or two) and a serated tomato knife.

I would recommend going to a restaurant supply store and take a look at what they stock. These knives are designed to be used alot, but they are not very expensive. Most are also made so gunk does not get trapped in tiny spaces and breed all sorts of nasties.

You should also get a butcher's steel to re-align the edge. Sharpening is a whole other discussion.

When you are shopping, pick up the knife and see if it fits your hand. See if it is balanced. And don't think you have to get all of your knives at once. As a matter of fact, they do not have to be the same brand either!

Your decision to dump the ginsu/serated knives is a good one. Don't concern yourself with consumer reports too much. Buy what feels best.

Good luck!

Myron

 

[Samoan]

Agree with MBS. Avoid set unless you are getting a great deal, i.e., the knife you don't really need is essentially free.

My personal choice runs to Wusthof Trident. I love the feel. Make sure you handle a bunch of different knives. As an example, I can't stand Globals. Nice knives, but I don't like the way they feel in my hand. My mom (retired chef) on the other hand loves her Globals and says my Wusthof 10" Chef makes her hands hurt.

You would laso be amazed at what you can find in Garage Sales. My brother found his favorite Chef's knife at a garage sale. Turns out it was a very expensive hand made French number, but he only paid $5. This only really works once you know a lot about knives and know what you like.

-F

 

[BlindedByTheLite]

what about the knives from the infomercial where they chop the pineapple in mid-air?

are those bogus?

 

[_mike_]

My wife (still working chef) loves her Globals as well. I got her the G-237 three piece set for about $150.00 They are thinner than Wusthof's and Henckels and come sharpened at 15 degree (per side).

My wife uses these every day and loves them. They might be a little more than you want to spend, and you should not sharpen them with an electric sharpener. My wife uses a ceramic rod on them for touch-ups. For a little more than touch-ups I use my EdgePro. So far, they are holding their edges very well and I have only used the EdgePro once on them.

If you don't want to spend too much for a sharpener the Spyderco Sharpmaker 204 is well regarded, easy to use and can be had for around $40.00 (or there abouts).

Mike

 

[CUTiger3]

I highly recommend knives made by George Tichbourne. These may be a little out of your price range, but when you consider this is a lifetime investment...
K18 - Santoku: $110
K2 - Paring: $75
K3 - Vegetable: $48
Total: $233 plus shipping

I currently have one of his Chef's knives and two of the vegetable knives. Been using all of them since Christmas, and have yet to need to sharpen them. Start with one of the vegetable knives ($48) and see how many different functions this one knife can perform. I will be ordering two of the Santoku models later this week. One of these is for a neighbor that has used my Chef's and Veg knives. I've had or have most of the "high-end" consumer knives and there is NO comparison.

Good Luck in your Search /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[smokinbasser]

Consider the old hickory line of food preparation knives they have high carbon steel blades of 5160, brass riveted handles and are fairly easy to keep sharp. They ARE NOT stainless and require proper care(wipe them clean,No dishwashers, don't soak in water, try to keep a thin coat of oil on the blade)$ is significantly less than some of the previously mentioned brands

 

[Ginseng]

The best inexpensive knives by far are the Forschner line. Built no-nonsense for the professional kitchen. Handles that are tough and almost impossible to slip your hand off of. Blades that are sharp and stainless. Buy them, try them. You'll thank me.

http://www.professionalcutlerydirect.com/t3/t11t22t3a.shtml

Wilkey

 

[DrJ]

.

 

[pedalinbob]

i was looking at the forschners...there are some excellent deals out there...

the search continues.

Bob

 

[tiktok 22]

Have to give a ditto to Wilkey. The Forschners are great. Better than many knives that cost much more.

 

[Wits' End]

Any one familiar with Rada ? They are stainless with a cast Aluminium handle. We sell them in our store and have had repeat customers. We as a family have been using them for about 8 years. The paring knife is great as well as their peeler. We use the Utility knife when butchering chickens. The simple sharpener works well to keep a good edge while cutting the tough stuff.
Bob if you are interested PM or email for more info.

 

[DrJ]

.

 

[Alan_L]

I have a couple of the Spyderco line of kitchen knives and love them. They have a thin blade and use a harder steel than a lot of other knives. Spyderco is well known for their pocket knives and unlike a lot of other companies, you can go to their website and find out the exact composition of the steel they use and how it compares to other common steels. They aren't fancy but very functional.

 

[paulr]

Old Hickory, Chicago Cutlery, and Forschner (Victorinox) are all nice. I'm sure the Spydercos are well made, but I don't like serrated kitchen knives, so I'd pass them by.

 

[Alan_L]

All of Spyderco models come in plain edge or serrated. I find uses for both kinds in the kitchen.

 

[hideo]

I have a # 12 Opinel folder in carbon steel (about a 4.5" blade) in the rack next to my Wusthof's that I use a good deal--dissected a 15 foot squid with it in an invertebrate zoology class some years back ... the Opinels are cheap, portable (I've brought them along to potlucks where I knew a sharp knife probably would'nt be found), sharpen easily and have a thin blade profile that slices well

another fave is a 6" Japanese "Ice Bear" in some no-name stainless that I got from Lee Valley for $10--I use it more than my Wusthof 8" chefs--got a little Portuguese curved parer from them which is another fave ($3)--it's sharp like a scalpel

my latest kitchen knife is a 9 inch Roselli modified santoku-style (in Krups carbon steel with a curly birch handle--it's not the most comfortable chef's I've used, but it's a slicing machine (not cheap, though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif)--I also use his shorter hatchet as a cleaver from time to time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Spydie kitchen knives? was using the 3" wharncliffe Ronin I just got to mince garlic the other day ...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

hideo

 

[pedalinbob]

ok, i think i am going with Forschner, and will just buy a few of the most needed types.

which do you folks recommend for basic kitchen duty?
i was thinking an 8" chef's knife, amd maybe a paring and utility knife. all in fibrox handles.

(i knew if you guys could recommend a good optical mouse, i would get great info on knives. going today to hopefully get a logitech mx300)

Bob

 

[KC2IXE]

Me? Grew up using OLD Sabatier CARBON steel knives that were old and ground to a triangle (wear) before I was born - they are Grandad's knives. They are STILL in use at Mom and Dad's.

I use a mix of Hienkels and Wustoff , but one "odd" knife - I have a "chip carving" knife that I use for very fine paring work - great handle shape, nice small thin blade. Great for doing things like Radish Rosettes, splitting chestnuts, etc

 

[Deanster]

Forschner is a fine choice - 8' chef, 6' utility/slicing, 3' paring makes for a great start.